Putting a laptop sized hard drive in the mini was the biggest mistake. This limited its overall storage capacity. If you want external storage though, why buy a mini when you can buy an external hard drive (network drive or hook it up to AirPort extreme) with tripple the capacity for half the price? The mini was never an attractive computer given that the iMac represented a better value package. If you wanted to buy a 20" or 23" display, it was really too underpowered to drive it well given the crappy video.

WHEN WILL APPLE LEARN THEY NEED A SUB MAC PRO!!! Half the size and storage/ram capability, a good single or dual core 2 duo with a decent (removeable) video card. People have been demanding this for ages! C'mon Apple. Who cares if it hurts Mac Pro and iMac sales if you sell a ton of these!!!

[/QUOTE]

In there defense, at the time 2.5 and 3.5 inch hard drives offered similar capacities in the low end. Over the two and a half year reign of the mini 3.5 inch drives have gotten larger and cheaper. The notebook drives have remained almost stagnant.

Over at Amazon, among the iMacs, the 17" Super Drive model seems to be doing well, the combo drive model not so much.

It appears to go:

20" iMac (best-selling of the iMacs, and in the Top 10 at Amazon)
17" iMac Superdrive (doing well, in Top 20)
24" iMac (doing not so well, out of the Top 100)
17" iMac Combo drive (worst-selling of the iMacs)

That's just among the iMacs that were offering rebates.

Surprisingly, (or perhaps not so) the $599 Mac Mini appears to be selling quite WELL over at Amazon, and is #15 as of this writing, ahead of all the iMacs except the 20".

The $799 Mac Mini is doing less well, but is still in the Top 50. Perhaps the Mac Mini is not quite the sales 'dud' that some folks think it is? \

Of course, the MacBooks and MacBook Pros dominate the Amazon Top 10, but even so, the Mac Mini appears to be more than holding its own.

.

PS- Above sales rankings are as of this writing, and obviously can be volatile. So don't whine if they change.

I wonder if Apple really even cares about market share anymore. Maybe this move (if true) , along with the delay of Leopard because of the iPhone, is reflective of them dropping "Computer" from their name.

So why is it you're making a bigger deal out of this than it is? They care about market share, but that won't stop them from entering other markets in the consumer electronics world (of which Computers is a subset of Consumer Electronics) and Leopard was delayed on a moment's notice because of a software problem with the iPhone, that also uses OS X. Granted that Mac sales will do just fine without Leopard (there is always a large group of people waiting for some refresh or another anyways) and Leopard will be a rather inexpensive upgrade at just $129, and one that will be worth it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacGregor

Whether any new device takes the place of the Mini, it is pretty obvious that the key will be to slowly wean music and video away from the computer.

As much as a Mac with iTunes is great at organizing things smartly and keeping a leash on content, we all know that content will increasingly be available on phones and mobile devices and setboxes that do not require a Mac or a Windows pc.

Verizon has set their future on competing for content by just using a phone. That has major disadvantages, but those will fade over time as wifi enlargens and phones get smarter.

aTV, if it is to "replace" the Mini, will need to become more than just a really expensive wireless holding cell for content. It needs to access the web and deal with DRM (for awhile anyway) and run more independent of the Mac itself, or it will be leapfrogged. This is a few years away, but my point is that the Mini can help with that transition for some years to come.

Not so fast. This is merely one fork in the road and definitely not one that has been reached yet. There are 2 ways that I see it going, there is the way you just described, having different data on devices that are relevant to them, music on Digital Audio players, Video in media centers, contacts on phones, etc.

The one that I happen to favorite is using the computer as a central database where everything comes back to the computer. Your phone just break? Buy another, sync it, and be done. Time to upgrade your media center? Buy another, sync it, and be done. Alternatively, it could be a central server that you sync to, perhaps one located right at home.

But like I said, it's a fork in the road that hasn't been crossed yet. Apple seems to favor the second option though

A slightly bigger mini with exchangable graphics card would be better. For home gamers. It would sell.

PowerBook 12 is the BEST and most portable Mac so far. I think Apple originally was going to introduce the MacBook Thin sooner to replace the 12. They probably ran into problems in the development, or was going to introduce it with Leopard or something. It would be a strange move to introduce one or two revisions of a MacBook Pro 12" and then introduce MacBook Thin. That's why they didn't.

Here is what I dont get: sure it is annoing, but that crapware subsidises the cost of the PC...what is so damnd hard about going into add/remove programs and deleteing everything on the first boot up? Then just install what you want and defrag and you are golden...

Now-a-days it is a lot cheaper to do that than even to build.

Ooh sounds like a blast. Instead of working out of the box like a computer should anyways, you get to have loads and loads of fun getting rid of junk that should not be there to begin with. If I walk over to a Sony Vaio in CompUSA there's usually 3 columns of Icons on the desktop. You could have party with that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by backtomac

If those rumors become reality then it sure looks that way to me as well. Still it makes me nervous, especially because there isn't any rumors of a machine to take the place of the mini and 17" iMac.

Fear Ze Rumors!!

Sadly it's probably less fiction than fact. RIP Mr. Mac Mini.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr O

If Apple is to seduce the Windows user, then the Mac Mini is definately not the best way to do so. Neither is AppleTV. Hardware is not gonna be the answer.

It's time for .mac to raise its game! This highly neglected and overpriced internet tool should come for free, open to all windows users and with all the features to be a worthy alternative to Facebook and the likes. There's no better way to give people a flavour of the Tiger/Leopard user experience.

2 2.0) Yes they need to do more with .Mac, but free isn't in the cards.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TBaggins

Over at Amazon, among the iMacs, the 17" Super Drive model seems to be doing well, the combo drive model not so much.

It appears to go:

20" iMac (best-selling of the iMacs, and in the Top 10 at Amazon)
17" iMac Superdrive (doing well, in Top 20)
24" iMac (doing not so well, out of the Top 100)
17" iMac Combo drive (worst-selling of the iMacs)

That's just among the iMacs that were offering rebates.

Surprisingly, (or perhaps not so) the $599 Mac Mini appears to be selling quite WELL over at Amazon, and is #15 as of this writing, ahead of all the iMacs except the 20".

The $799 Mac Mini is doing less well, but is still in the Top 50. Perhaps the Mac Mini is not quite the sales 'dud' that some folks think it is? \

Of course, the MacBooks and MacBook Pros dominate the Amazon Top 10, but even so, the Mac Mini appears to be more than holding its own.

.

Sheesh, and they want to drop the 17" and probably the Minis? Now I am confused. The Mac Mini is clearly selling well if Amazon is any indicator, so why drop it? Hell, why not update it? Yes I'm one of those people who thought it was a sales dud.

Oh and a couple more things: They should just get it over with and release that damned Mid tower. As much as I despise the things and wouldn't want one associated with Apple, if they continue to ignore "Niche" markets as they are called, well those niche markets can still add up to several million people that they are just outright ignoring altogether.

And in added hilarity, about 10 minutes after I listed how Mac Minis and iMacs were selling over at Amazon, the $599 Mac Mini jumped up to #13.

Are people making a run on these or something? I didn't think an AI rumor could be quite that influential. \

.

Apple Insider is now one of the most trafficked Apple Rumor sites as far as I can tell. It probably has something to do with the spike in accuracy lately, AI for the most part has been dead on with news. You hear that? It's the sound of NDAs being broken.

It's dangerous, of course, to compare "the current product lineup" against "the current product lineup minus Mac Mini". We need to compare it against "the future product lineup" of which we know little about!

Quote:

Originally Posted by iconsumer

maybe apple should merge the mac mini with the apple tv instead ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by danielchow

only the product name is dead. i think it has simply evolved into something else. that is, it's now Apple TV.

I would be very surprised if Apple wasn't looking at how people use Mac Mini's as media centres, and planning a high end AppleTV with exactly those extra features - ie: AppleTV + regular OSX + DVD drive etc.

So for anyone worried they wouldn't be able to use a Mac Mini on their TV anymore... I wouldn't worry about the future.

However - people use the Mac Mini elsewhere - eg: some people mention servers...

I agree. An Airport Extreme with a huge hard disk could function as a server. I _think_ I read that the Airport Extreme could even allow for shared username management on the network (anyone know?). If it doesn't yet, it could.

So anyone using MacMini's as servers should be safe even if the MacMini disappears.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buck

I have about 40 machines working in the enterprise. Not one of them has ever failed, but that's besides the point. And the point is that they are affordable for the enterprise, even more so when they used to have G4s in them. That was the key point for replacing the PCs. I doubt the management would go for expensive iMacs and it doesn't make sense from their perspective since they want just a computer, not a monitor

If the Mac Mini goes - this is a problem! I was considering swapping a dual 867Mhz G4 for a MacMini... that possibility goes away. Of course, an iMac will do the job and I can still use our professional monitor (PLUS the iMac monitor)... but the lowend Mac in a traditional role is what would be lost if the mac mini disappears.

I suppose a future high end AppleTV might also do the same... but I'll need VGA support.

Anyway...

I actually think the MacMini does more for Apple just by getting people to consider a Mac. How many people look at the MacMini, when they wouldn't have otherwise looked... and then buy instead the iMac or something else?

I still believe that Apple is going to make an unexpected move at WWDC. It may be that they need to be in control of the computer & screen for their new system to work.

As an example... if they have created a touch interface and a new method of interaction with 10.5 - they'd want to announce new iMacs, MBPs, Cinema displays (& MBs). Publicity would want to focus on this different new interface... on all Macs... and the Mac Mini wouldn't fit the new paradigm (99.9% of Mac Mini users aren't going to buy an Apple Cinema Display).

Personally, I would like something in the Mini's form factor as a home server unit. Media server, mail server, file and print with some stackable fw attached disk and running a cutdown version of OS X server and something like VNC to control it without having to worry about kvm. And maybe some home portal software (iZope anyone?) that integrates with rest of iLife so you can put all your stuff up on a home intranet.

I'd like to see the Cube return in some form. Of course it could be smaller, say 6.5x6.5 and aluminum with ports on the back not the bottom. Plenty of room for a desktop size hard drive too. They can pack in a lot more now than they could back then.

Perhaps the Mac Mini is not quite the sales 'dud' that some folks think it is? \

When the Mac mini was introduced in January 2005 it was quite successful but cannibalized iMac sales and the Mac average selling price slipped from $1,500 to $1,300. People actually liked the low cost Mac. Oh, the horror! Peter Oppenheimer announced in April that Apple would stop reporting CPU sales by product family.

According to Piper Jaffray's product sales analysis, Mac mini sales started to collapse in 2006. In the meantime, iMac sales went up and notebook sales almost doubled. Since then, Mac mini sales are allegedly well under 100,000 units per quarter, if true it's a complete and utter dud.

The price went slightly up during the Intel transition, yet the Mac mini is rarely updated, as the now defunct eMac. In my opinion Apple wants to sell iMacs and notebooks, not a low cost Mac. Put aside your feelings and try to think like Apple's Chief Financial Officer and all of a sudden the Mac mini is a liability. The MacBook is already under Apple's typical average selling price and selling like crazy, Apple doesn't need a sub-$800 product. They need the opposite, the 24-inch iMac or a ultra thin scantily clad notebook (selling for +$1,500), to maintain the ASP and increase revenue, margins and profits.

It's kinda sad, though. Mac mini owners like them, it's so small and silent. But Apple never really pushed the mini, they held it back.

Quote:

Originally Posted by michaelprovence

How can apple gain some market share without affordable computer ?? This is impossible and i am worried that apple in the future will focus on ipod, iphone and mac TV and no more on computers ??

It's not all about market share, Apple must increase the Mac revenue too, and the Mac mini didn't help. Besides, Apple is already gaining market share, the Mac is outgrowing the PC market.

The more I learn about Apple, the less I like. I converted to a Mac in 2005 thanks to the Mini. At the time, I ran a Windows box and a Linux box. Because the Mac ran OS X, I could run most of the Unix apps I was running on Linux and have a nice GUI for running Microsoft Word and web browsing on a really small and quiet box.

The Apple TV is no substitute for a Mini. I just can't go back to another loud, bulky PC. I have a nice LCD monitor, so why would I want to blow a mint for a iMac? I'm only waiting around for the next version of OS X before I buy another Mini to replace my G5 with an Intel. If Apple leaves me without an update version of the Mini, I suppose I'll just survive with my G5 Mini until someone finally makes a reasonably quiet and small PC.

Well, Apple killed the iPod Mini which was the best selling iPod of all time when they did so. As sad as I would be to see the Mac Mini killed it probably makes sense because the 17" iMac for example is very competitively priced. Apple also is set to introduce new items at WWDC, one of which wouldn't surprise me a bit to be a redesigned iMac. I definitely will be holding on to my Mac Mini even if I stop using it and get something new.

Um, Mods? Are you too busy not proofreading the articles to shit-can this guy?

Wow, another "can this guy" post.

It is perhaps a legitimate request. But.........

I am amazed at how often this seems to be requested/demanded on AI (and wilco, you surely recall that you were once a victim of a similar sentiment for your -- I am paraphrasing -- zune/brown/poo posts.)

This, from citizens in a voluntarily membered medium, dealing an industry that is all about communication, in a country that enshrines the concept of free speech!

Pathetic. If the "mods" agree to this sort of thing, "speech" will sound like one hand clapping.

I haven't read all posts on this and so, please forgive me if this has come up.

There seems to be two distinct schools of thought on this subject. One encompasses those who either own or have used a mini. They speak highly in its praise. The other, those who have not and who seem ambivalent to its future. I haven't owned or used one, however it also seems that some very innovative and interesting applications have been found for them. Apple users are not just desk jockies (no offence meant to those who are of course, variety is the spice of life), we are scientists, engineers, artists, artisans and so on. In these fields, the mini has so much potential.

I have an application coming up in which only a Mac Mini format makes sense, I do not need a keyboard, mouse, monitor or optical drive and only a small HD if I can manage the system remotely however and so, perhaps I should be looking at the TV more closely. What I would like to know is, now that it has been claimed that a (full) version of OS X has been booted on the TV, is this a more capable way of accessing the same functionality as the mini? I do need a serial port through USB.

I agree. An Airport Extreme with a huge hard disk could function as a server. I _think_ I read that the Airport Extreme could even allow for shared username management on the network (anyone know?). If it doesn't yet, it could.

So anyone using MacMini's as servers should be safe even if the MacMini disappears.

Airport Extreme with an attached hard disk is a poor excuse for a server. It's extremely slow, even when wired.

I will be disappointed if the mini is discontinued. I've been planning to buy one; just waiting for the months-overdue update. If this rumor is true, it would explain why the mini hasn't been updated since September.

A savvy speculator might want to buy a hundred minis right now and wait. They could be worth more on eBay if discontinued than they are now at retail price. Has anyone noticed the great prices used minis command? Even the G4's are worth a lot. Maybe that's what Apple doesn't like about them.

If the sales of the Mac Mini dipped it was probably because Apple never came out with compelling upgrades and worse yet the Intel Mac Mini was a downgrade on the GPU front with its integrated graphics. I have been waiting for years for them to come out with a Mac Mini upgrade with a decent GPU since the first Mac Minis that had dedicated GPUs. I don't mean a monster top of the line GPU either there are plenty of GPUs that would be a good fit. Heck.. I've read the AppleTV has a dedicated GPU from nvidia. The Mac Mini should have the same thing. I also agree that the AppleTV is no substitute... especially since you have to jump through hoops to get it to run regular programs and it doesn't have an optical drive and it also has a slower CPU and AFAIK not as much RAM which is also not upgradeable. I would rather they come out with a Mini that has santa rosa, the same nivida GPU that the AppleTV has and 1GB standard.

But it seems like Apple has been languishing in general ever since they switched to intel and got things transitioned over. They may announce upgrades at WWDC but I almost feel like it'll be CPU only like it has been so far and it doesn't instill a lot of confidence in me. If they continue to languish when it comes to the GPU I'm going to be forced to go back to the PC.

I'm holding out with a little hope though that this rumor isn't true and that they are going to do a good refresh soon but I'm not really holding my breath.

It's my opinion that when you buy a computer that you can't upgrade key components you rely on the company to bring out those upgrades and if they don't they dropped the ball. I do know the excuses that some people make about target audience but if the Mac Mini is dead then obviously that strategy didn't work. I think things like dedicated GPUs shouldn't be reserved only for the hardcore it should be standard equipment especially as OS' like Leopard and Vista get more graphically intensive.

I've also resented the idea that in order to get a dedicated GPU on the desktop with Apple you have to buy an all in one computer or a huge expensive tower. But if the Mac Mini is dead then there won't be a choice otherwise (as far as I know)... and not everyone wants a portable.

My hope is that Apple has some really great plans for the Mac and we'll all be amazed this summer with what they introduce. There has been so little news about new Macs this year, it's hard to understand. These rumors that all of Apple's sub $1000 computers will be discontinued are discouraging. I can't really imagine it's all true.

My initial reaction is I hope this is just because they are bringing another product out. Because there is nothing wrong with the hardware except they have not brought out a Core 2 version, try building a white box Pc to the same spec, you end up around the same price but with a much bigger and uglier box. Customers who already own a Mac have commented they would love to get a Mac Mini but are waiting for that KILLER media center application. The Killer app has not appeared because or a lack of finance, fear of Apple either ripping them off or dumping the machine, ironically maybe this is just what is going to happen anyway. I must say that I am very disappointed with the Apple TV hardware running so hot but this can be partially fixed by voiding your warranty and ripping off the rubber bottom that is reducing the effectiveness of the internal fan blower, this has Cube written all over it. The Apple TV is limited, it cannot run, DVD's, Live TV/PVR, IP TV "Joost", VOIP Skype and games. Somewhere along the line Apple has forgotten the Think Different philosophy and the shareholders do not see there is real passion for a modifiable Media Center running on a MAC.

Apple out to consider what a mini with at least Intel Core 2 Duo processors and a video card that could drive the 30" monitor. All of us with 30's that might want to sometime get rid of the giant G5 towers, and not wanting to part with that screen to get a smaller 24" iMac would appreciate a smaller desktop computer alternative. I for one would appreciate a smaller, quieter, powerful option to the very expensive tower options that I curently face within Apple's current offerings in order to get over to the Intel platform of Mac OS X.

If the AppleTV includes a Macmini with DVD driver in the next release, we don't have no problem with this, it is welcomed!

In order for me to consider the AppleTV a replacement it would have to be a Mac with AppleTV functionality not an AppleTV with Mac functionality. What I mean is it shouldn't have the same CPU and amount and type of ram that it currently has. It would take the best parts of both... but that may just be me dreaming. If it has to become somewhat taller in order to do so then so be it but I'd rather see it do that than to go away altogether. I love my G4 Mac Mini but I want a real upgrade to it also without having to replace everything I have (monitor, etc.) a drop in upgrade in other words. Then perhaps later I could get a better monitor\\etc

I On the other hand, I won't buy a Mac tower due to it's size and noise factor. I had a MDD dual 1Ghz G4 tower and it was loud as everything. I have heard that the newer machines are quieter, but I want whisper quiet. I have a iMac 24" now and it's perfect.

Well, I just bit the bullet on a 2.66 Mac Pro (dev discount helped a lot :-p), and it *is* wisper quiet. If I wanted to trim its dbs a bit more I'd replace the 4 seagates I threw in it with quieter disks and replace the x1900xt fan (I have a replacement fan, but it's quiet enough I havent bothered).

I've been posting for some time tat the Mini just isn't the machine anymore for the average user. It isn't that the Mini was a bad machine or doesn't serve certain markets now, it is just that market conditions change and Apple doesn't need more that one low cost platform.

So I expect the Mini to be phase out and have been so for some time. What I expect in return is a machine family that at the low end can effectively replace the mini but offer flexibility beyond that introductory model. One very worth while feature would be a real video card. In some shape or form they would need to deliver accelerated video decoding. Note that I don't expect this in the base model of the new family, I do expect though a low end motherboard and a higher end all sitting in the same physical form factor. Then there is the obvious issue of disk size which more than anything limits storage and thus the Mini's appeal.

In a nutshell I think Apple can cover the low end, midrange and possibly the high end on one platform if it replaces the Mini with the right hardware.

I've been posting for some time tat the Mini just isn't the machine anymore for the average user

I'd say you're right, but because the market is moving towards laptops, those of us who want a large LCD and a tower (or box of any kind) are becoming more of a niche market, more people want little, portable machines. Not necessarily for taking out of the house (though very often *around* the house), but so that they take up less room and can be closed and/or put away when not in use.

Dropping the Mac mini is a good idea if Apple replaces it with something a bit bigger and better, a headless and compact Mac with these features:

1. Uses desktop drives with room for two.

2. Has four RAM slots

3. Can drive two external monitors.

Except for the last and the compact size, that's precisely the sort of desktop that sells best to businesses. Businesses don't care about tiny (the Mac mini), they don't want huge (Mac Pro) and they're suspicious about pretty (iMacs).

If Apple wants to increase their market share in businesses, that's what they need to build.

But if they are willing to upgrade the Mini without changing the form factor too much I wouldn't mind that either. The thing is though if they are going to keep things like the GPU non-upgradable they need to be bringing out upgrades and I think that probably didn't help. I mean why by a new one if it's not really an upgrade? I am posting from my G4 Mac Mini, I love the form factor I just don't love how they have treated it when it comes to upgrades.

BTW, don't you think some of those features listed above would require a much larger enclosure? Specifically 4 ram slots and room for two+ drives.

So, I apologize if this has been said over and over, but I'm sorry this is happening. I was truly hoping that Apple would see a way to built onto this platform. I suspected they would not, when we noticed that their new small products had a different footprint.

Too bad. Hopefully, they will replace it with something that sells better.

According to Piper Jaffray's product sales analysis, Mac mini sales started to collapse in 2006. In the meantime, iMac sales went up and notebook sales almost doubled. Since then, Mac mini sales are allegedly well under 100,000 units per quarter, if true it's a complete and utter dud.

If the Mac Mini is a 'sales dud', someone must not be telling the Mac Mini that.

Over at Amazon, the $599 Mini is now up to #9, ahead of all iMacs and even one of the MacBook Pros!!!

It's not all about market share, Apple must increase the Mac revenue too, and the Mac mini didn't help. Besides, Apple is already gaining market share, the Mac is outgrowing the PC market.

The thing is, though:

1) Apple's worldwide Mac marketshare, though growing, is still pathetically small, at around 3 percent. As much as they're improving in marketshare, there's a lot of room to do better still.

2) Apple's margins have been very high of late. There's definitely room for them to become more aggressive on price, and/or fill in some holes in their product lines.

Even with the good number of Windows switchers Apple has snared of late, one gets the distinct feeling that many more would switch, if only Apple would get more aggressive about it. But it's all too easy when things are going well to become complacent, instead of saying, "Hey, we could be doing even BETTER." \

I would be really sorry if apple really chooses to shove the mac mini as this articles suspects.
IMHO the mac mini could easily server as a Media Server companion to Apple TV. i.e. its Big Brother that actually holds and streams all this nice goodies like Movies, Music etc. Yes the same service could almost be done by an adv apple AirPort Extreme but this little dev do hold some storage (external by default) but they don't have a dvd reader / writer. I would easily spent something like 700 bucks for a Mac Mini with a big fat hardisk (1TB perhaps) + 300 for an Apple TV if the where tightly integrated and appeared as one on my big slim lean and mean HD TV.

I totally disagree with you Apple-Insider. I think that the mini is a magnificent system. after all its what had introduced me for Apple in the first place. I mean, the mac is expensive and this is scaring away switchers like me and once of a sudden, BOOM, Mac mini $500. So I went like everyone else and grabbed myself one. Now, I am a mac user thanks to the mini. You take the mini away. You will scare all switchers away too because, we are computer users and we need a computer not a toy called Apple TV.